MULTIMEDIA COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of communication systems for motor vehicles, and it relates more particularly to interactive communication systems, that is to say communication systems which induce direct or indirect interaction with the driver of the vehicle.

[0002] The driving and living environment on board motor vehicles is continually being enhanced with new functionalities. Some of these functions require the driver of the vehicle to be solicited and / or for the driver to interact with the on-board multimedia communication system. These interactions may be simple, such as, for example, the display or audio broadcast of a simple informative message, or they may be more complex, such as, for example, the entry or validation of information by the driver following the broadcast of a visual or auditory message. These interactions take place between the driver and the multimedia communication system, the driver receiving from the latter, via an appropriate interface, a plurality of information and / or suggestions isolated from his driving environment and having to take them into account instantly during his driving activity.

[0003] The attention the driver needs to understand this information and / or suggestions and to respond if necessary is therefore in addition to that which he needs to drive.

[0004] This process increases the mental load of the driver and can therefore tire him and, consequently, induce a risk for his driving.

[0005] Document CN 104 050 586 is known in the prior art, which relates to an advertising manager for a vehicle multimedia system. Document EP 3 660 726 is also known, which relates solely to the field of conversational agents on a human-machine interface.

[0006] The aim of the invention is to propose a solution allowing for consideration of the opportunity for exchange between the multimedia communication system and the driver, in order to optimize the compatibility of the interactions of the vehicle's multimedia system with the driving context.

[0007] For this purpose, according to a first aspect, the invention relates to a multimedia communication system for a motor vehicle configured to generate interaction requests, to assign to each of the interaction requests an indicator representative of a type of interaction, and to transmit these interaction requests to an occupant of the vehicle via a communication module, characterized in that it comprises an interaction request management module which comprises: a contextual analysis module configured, on the one hand, to define, on the basis of a plurality of contextual data of a driving situation of the vehicle at a given instant, a plurality of contextual state vectors of the driving situation, each contextual state vector grouping together a plurality of contextual parameters of the driving situation, a concatenation member configured to bring together the contextual state vectors of the driving situation into a global state vector of the driving situation, a general data cluster in which are recorded a plurality of predefined global state vectors each of which is assigned, for each type of interaction, a label representing an authorization or a prohibition of presentation of the interaction request to the occupant of the vehicle,a decision module configured to compare the global state vector of the driving situation with the predefined global state vectors of the general data cluster in order to deduce a label, to be associated with the global vector of the driving situation, representative of an authorization or a prohibition of presentation of the interaction request to the occupant of the vehicle, , the request management module being configured to command the communication module to present the interaction request to the occupant of the vehicle based on the label of the global state vector of the driving situation.

[0008] In the context of the invention, the occupant of the vehicle is preferably the driver thereof, and the invention will be described in this case in this document, but the invention also applies to any other occupant of the vehicle.

[0009] An interaction request is here to be understood as information delivered by an interface of the communication module and inducing an interaction with the occupant, that is to say, here, the driver.

[0010] The interaction requests are, for example, generated by a request generation module of the communication system according to the invention. In the following, the interaction requests will also be referred to interchangeably as requests to simplify reading.

[0011] The interaction induced by an interaction request can be of several types. As non-limiting examples, the interaction can be: visual: the driver must read a message displayed on a vehicle screen, auditory: the driver must listen to an audio message delivered by the communication module interface, verbal: the driver must speak, tactile: the driver must act on a vehicle touch screen, or any combination of one or more of the aforementioned types of interaction.

[0012] We thus define a plurality of types of interactions.

[0013] The query generation module may be configured to assign, to each interaction query, an indicator representative of the type of interaction that the interaction query induces with the occupant of the vehicle. This indicator may be simple in the case where the interaction query induces a single action on the part of the driver, or it may be complex in the case where the interaction query induces a succession and / or a combination of actions on the part of the driver, for example listening to an audio message and then a verbal response to it.

[0014] According to a variant, the indicator representing the type of interaction induced by an interaction request can be defined within the request management module mentioned above.

[0015] The driving situation here represents all the data relating to the vehicle, its environment, and the driver at a given moment, as soon as the vehicle's engine is started. The driving situation is therefore a form of instantaneous view of the vehicle and its environment, interior and exterior, as soon as the vehicle's engine is started, whether the vehicle is moving or is stationary. The driving situation includes, by way of non-limiting examples, data relating to the driver and his instantaneous cognitive load, data relating to the road, and traffic.

[0016] In the communication system according to the invention, these data are represented by contextual parameters grouped into parameter categories, and, for each parameter category, the contextual analysis module defines a contextual state vector grouping, at a given instant, values of the contextual parameters of this parameter category for the driving situation at this instant. Each contextual state vector therefore groups together contextual parameters of a category as mentioned above.Thus, by way of non-limiting example, the contextual analysis module may define a contextual state vector grouping together parameters relating to the driver, a contextual state vector relating to the route on which the vehicle is traveling, a contextual state vector relating to the traffic on this route, one or more contextual state vectors relating to the operation of the vehicle, any state vector grouping together one or more contextual parameters representative of a category of parameters of the driving situation may be defined.

[0017] As non-exhaustive examples, the contextual state vector grouping together parameters relating to the driver may group together contextual parameters such as the number of hours of driving already completed since starting the vehicle engine, the driver's eye mobility, the driver's heart rate, and a frequency of interaction with the communication module interface. The contextual state vector relating to the route may, in a non-exhaustive manner, group together contextual parameters relating to an urban or rural, straight or winding environment. The contextual state vector relating to traffic may, for its part, group together, as non-exhaustive examples, contextual parameters relating to road lighting (day, night, artificial lighting, no lighting, etc.), traffic conditions, and the presence of roadworks.

[0018] To summarize, each contextual state vector is therefore a multidimensional vector whose dimensions are a function of the number of contextual parameters chosen to define it.

[0019] The values of each contextual parameter are advantageously defined in the contextual analysis module, the latter being configured to communicate with a set of sensors of the vehicle and its environment which make it possible to quantify a value at a given moment associated with the contextual parameter considered.

[0020] For each contextual parameter, a range of variations is arbitrarily predefined in such a way that it provides sufficient sensitivity to distinguish any significant variation of the parameter considered without leading to too large a quantity of information which could overload the computing capacity of the contextual analysis module. Each parameter of each contextual state vector therefore has its own range of variation.

[0021] According to one example, the different state vectors can be normed.

[0022] The concatenation member is configured to bring together all the contextual state vectors of a driving situation, defined by the contextual analysis module, into a global state vector of this driving situation. The global state vector of the driving situation is therefore a multidimensional vector whose number of dimensions is equal to the sum of the dimensions of the contextual state vectors of this driving situation.

[0023] As mentioned, the communication system according to the invention is such that the request management module comprises a general data cluster in which a plurality of predefined global state vectors are recorded. Each predefined global state vector is derived from a predefined driving situation, for example by calculation and / or during vehicle tests carried out prior to its marketing, or from a driving situation previously encountered by the vehicle equipped with the communication system according to the invention.

[0024] Within this general data cluster, it was specified that each global state vector is assigned, for each type of interaction, a label representing an authorization or a prohibition of presentation, to the occupant of the vehicle, of a request inducing said type of interaction.

[0025] Each label therefore comprises two parts: on the one hand, a first part representing an indicator of the type of interaction as previously defined, and, on the other hand, a second part representing an authorization or a prohibition of presentation, to the driver, of a request inducing this type of interaction. This second part can, according to different examples, be defined by calculation, or by a prior calibration of the vehicle, or on the basis of responses previously given by a driver of a vehicle to this type of request in the predefined driving situation represented by the predefined global state vector considered.

[0026] In other words, the labels assigned to each global state vector of the general data cluster represent a form of calibration of the behavior of a driver of a vehicle in response to a plurality of predefined requests inducing different types of interactions in a plurality of predefined driving situations.

[0027] By way of non-limiting example, a predefined global state vector representing a driving situation in which the vehicle is stopped in a traffic jam may be assigned a label authorizing the presentation, to the driver, of a request inducing a visual interaction on his part (for example the reading of a message displayed on a screen of the vehicle) combined with a tactile interaction (for example the validation of the information indicated by this message), whereas a predefined global state vector representative of a driving situation in which the vehicle is in the process of overtaking another vehicle will be assigned a label not authorizing the presentation to the driver of such a request.In these different cases, the labels assigned to the global state vector of these two driving situations may have been defined either during a preliminary configuration of the vehicle, or by responses given by a driver of the vehicle during prior tests of the vehicle.

[0028] The multimedia communication system according to the invention further comprises a decision module configured to compare the global state vector of the driving situation, established by the previously described concatenation member, with the predefined global state vectors of the general data cluster, in order to deduce therefrom a label of the global vector of the driving situation representative of an authorization or a prohibition of presentation of the interaction request to the driver. Furthermore, according to the invention, the communication module is configured to present the request to the occupant of the vehicle according to this label.

[0029] According to another characteristic of the invention, the decision module is configured to select, from among the predefined global state vectors of the general data cluster, predefined global state vectors whose label includes the interaction type indicator of the interaction query, i.e. the predefined global state vectors which have a label whose first part is equal to the indicator assigned to the interaction query. This makes it possible to reduce the scope of the comparison in order to optimize it.

[0030] According to another characteristic, the invention further provides that the decision module is configured to compare the global state vector of the driving situation with the predefined global state vectors previously selected in order to identify the predefined global vector closest to the global vector of the driving situation in order to deduce therefrom a provisional label of the global vector of the driving situation.

[0031] The predefined global state vector closest to the global state vector of the driving situation is here to be understood as that which corresponds to the predefined driving situation closest to the driving situation considered. The predefined global state vector closest to the global state vector of the driving situation can, for example, be defined by a Euclidean method within a multidimensional space representing the general data cluster. In this way, the system according to the invention makes it possible to define a response to be provided to a given driving situation by modeling it on comparable situations already encountered or pre-recorded in the system.

[0032] According to another characteristic, the invention provides that the query management module is configured to record, in the general data cluster, the label of the global state vector of the driving situation. In other words, the invention provides to enrich the general data cluster with the global state vector of the driving situation assigned its label. The invention therefore provides a form of self-learning of the vehicle as the general data cluster is enriched with global state vectors of driving situations encountered by the driver of the vehicle.

[0033] The invention thus achieves the goal it set for itself, by proposing a multimedia communication system configured to assign, to a given interaction request, a label representing an authorization to present or a prohibition of presentation, or non-presentation, of this interaction request. In other words, the communication system according to the invention therefore makes it possible to carry out a form of sorting, as a function of a driving situation of the vehicle at a given instant, of a plurality of interaction requests sent, at this instant, by a multimedia agent of the vehicle, and this sorting is carried out as a function of parameters representative of the instantaneous driving situation.By the self-learning means that it proposes, the invention makes it possible to enrich the database used to carry out the aforementioned sorting, that is to say the general cluster of data previously defined, this enrichment being carried out for the driver of the vehicle as and when his driving experiences progress.

[0034] According to another aspect, the invention extends to a multimedia communication method for a motor vehicle, characterized in that it comprises: a step of transmitting, to the request management module of a communication system as just described, a request for interaction with an occupant of the vehicle, the interaction request being assigned an interaction type indicator, a step of generating a plurality of contextual state vectors of a driving situation of the vehicle at a given time, each contextual state vector grouping together a plurality of contextual parameters of a category of contextual parameters of the driving situation of the vehicle, a step of concatenating the contextual state vectors of the driving situation into a global state vector of the driving situation, a step of integrating the global state vector of the driving situation into the general data cluster previously defined, a step of assigning, to the global state vector of the driving situation, and for each type of interaction,of a label representing an authorization or a prohibition of presentation of the interaction request to the occupant of the vehicle, a step of presentation of the interaction request to the occupant of the vehicle according to the label assigned to the global state vector of the driving situation, the presentation of the interaction request only taking place if the assigned label is representative of an authorization of presentation of the interaction request to the occupant of the vehicle, a step of recording the global state vector of the driving situation assigned its label in the general data cluster.

[0035] The occupant of the vehicle here being preferably the driver, the method according to the invention will be described in the following for this particular occupant. Preferably, the interaction request transmitted to the previously defined communication module is previously assigned its interaction indicator, for example by the interaction request generation module as previously defined. According to a variant, the interaction type indicator can be assigned to the interaction request by the communication module when it receives it.

[0036] Furthermore, it should be understood here that the instant at which the contextual state vectors of the driving situation are defined corresponds to the instant at which the interaction request, assigned its interaction type indicator, is transmitted to the communication module.

[0037] According to one characteristic, the method according to the invention comprises a prior step of assigning a lifetime to the interaction request. This assignment can, for example, be carried out within the communication module once the latter has received the interaction request. Alternatively, this lifetime can be assigned to the interaction request within the previously mentioned request generation module. According to one characteristic, the step of assigning a label to the global state vector of the driving situation comprises a step of selecting, from the general data cluster, predefined global state vectors whose label includes the indicator of the interaction type of the interaction request, i.e. whose first part of the label is equal to the interaction type indicator assigned to the interaction request.According to one characteristic, the step of assigning a label to the global state vector of the driving situation comprises a step of identifying, in the general data cluster, the predefined global state vector closest to the global state vector of the driving situation.

[0038] As previously stated, the closest predefined global state vector to the global state vector of the driving situation can be sought by a Euclidean method such as, for example, a distance measure in the multidimensional space of the general data cluster.

[0039] According to one characteristic, the step of assigning a label to the global state vector of the driving situation comprises a step of assigning a provisional label to said global state vector, the provisional label being identical to the label of the predefined global state vector closest to the global state vector of the driving situation.

[0040] According to one characteristic, the step of presenting the interaction request to the occupant of the vehicle is conditioned by the value of the temporary label assigned to the global state vector of the driving situation. That is to say that if the aforementioned temporary label is representative of an authorization to present the request to the driver, this request is presented to the driver by the communication module of the communication system according to the invention, and if the aforementioned temporary label is representative of a prohibition on presenting the request to the driver, this request is not presented to the driver by the communication module of the communication system according to the invention.

[0041] According to one characteristic, the step of presenting the interaction request to the occupant of the vehicle is conditioned by the lifetime of the interaction request. More specifically, the invention provides that the step of presenting the interaction request to the occupant of the vehicle is conditioned by the lifetime of the interaction request in the case where the temporary label assigned to the global state vector of the driving situation prohibits the presentation of said interaction request.More specifically, the invention provides that, in the case where the temporary label assigned to the global state vector of the driving situation prohibits the presentation of the interaction request to the driver of the vehicle, and if the lifetime of the interaction request has not expired, said interaction request is temporarily stored to be retransmitted to the communication module at a later time at which the global state vector of the driving situation will have evolved in such a way that the new temporary label assigned to it may possibly authorize the presentation of this interaction request to the driver of the vehicle.

[0042] In the case where the temporary label assigned to the global state vector of the driving situation prohibits the presentation of the interaction request to the occupant of the vehicle, and as soon as the lifetime of the interaction request is reached, the label assigned to the global state vector of the driving situation is defined as being equal to the previously mentioned temporary label, that is to say that the label assigned to the driving situation is representative of a prohibition on the presentation of the interaction request to the occupant of the vehicle.

[0043] According to one characteristic, the value of the label assigned to the global state vector of the driving situation is conditioned by the response of the vehicle occupant to the interaction request. More precisely, as soon as the interaction request is presented to the vehicle occupant, that is to say as soon as the provisional label assigned to the global state vector of the driving situation is a provisional presentation authorization label, two cases may arise: if the occupant of the vehicle responds to the interaction request, the label assigned to the global state vector of the driving situation is defined as equal to the previously defined provisional label, if the occupant of the vehicle does not respond to the interaction request, on the one hand, the label assigned to the global state vector of the driving situation is defined as different from the previously mentioned provisional label, and, on the other hand, the new label assigned to the global state vector of the driving situation is representative of a prohibition on presenting the interaction request to the occupant of the vehicle.

[0044] We can therefore distinguish, in the step of assigning a label to the global state vector of the driving situation, a first sub-step of assigning a provisional label to this global state vector, identical to the label of the closest predefined global state vector, and a second sub-step of assigning a definitive label to the global state vector of the driving situation, according to the following mechanism: if the provisional label is representative of an authorization to present the interaction request, then the interaction request is presented to the driver by the communication module, and if the occupant responds to the interaction request, then the definitive label of the state vector of the driving situation is equal to its provisional label.

[0045] Here, "respond" means that the vehicle occupant performs the interaction provided for by the interaction type indicator assigned to the request. if the temporary label is representative of an authorization to present the interaction request, then the interaction request is presented to the driver by the communication module, and if the occupant does not respond to the interaction request, then the definitive label of the state vector of the driving situation is different from its temporary label, and it is representative of a prohibition of presenting the interaction request. if the temporary label is representative of a prohibition of presenting the interaction request, then the interaction request is not presented to the driver, and if the lifetime of the interaction request is reached, then the definitive label of the global state vector of the driving situation is equal to its temporary label, finally, if the temporary label is representative of a prohibition of presenting the interaction request, then the interaction request is not presented to the driver,and if the lifetime of the interaction request is not reached, then the definitive label of the global state vector of the driving situation is not defined, and the interaction request is temporarily stored to be retransmitted to the communication module at a later time at which the global state vector of the driving situation will have evolved in such a way that the new temporary label which will be assigned to it may possibly authorize the presentation of this interaction request to the driver of the vehicle.

[0046] As soon as a definitive label is assigned to the global state vector of the driving situation, the method according to the invention provides that this global state vector, assigned its definitive label, is recorded in the general data cluster, thus enriching the latter with new driving situations.

[0047] The method according to the invention therefore makes it possible, as mentioned above, to sort one or more interaction requests that can be generated, at a given moment, within the vehicle and intended for the driver. By the mechanism of assignment, previously described, of a definitive label to the global state vector of the driving situation, and by recording the global state vector of the driving situation at the moment in question, assigned this definitive label, in the general data cluster, the method according to the invention makes it possible to carry out the self-learning mentioned above, thus progressively enriching the general data cluster and thus refining communication with the driver while optimizing the safety of the vehicle.

[0048] The invention also relates to a motor vehicle equipped with a multimedia communication system as just described, in particular configured to implement the method as just described.

[0049] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description on the one hand, and from several examples of embodiment given for informational and non-limiting purposes with reference to the attached schematic drawings on the other hand, in which: [ fig 1 ] is a schematic representation of a vehicle equipped with a multimedia communication system according to the invention of two contextual state vectors of the same driving situation, [ fig 2 ] is a schematic representation of two contextual state vectors of the same driving situation, as they can be defined and implemented by the multimedia communication system of the figure 1 , [ fig 3 ] is a schematic representation of the global state vector of a driving situation such as that for which a contextual state vector illustrated by the figure 1 has been defined, [ fig 4 ] is a schematic representation of the communication system of the figure 1 according to the invention, [ fig 5 ] is a schematic representation of an example of a general data cluster and the insertion of the global state vector illustrated by the figure 3 in this general data cluster, [ fig 6 ] is a schematic representation of the progress of the method according to the invention, [ fig 7 ] is a schematic representation of an example of determining the predefined global state vector closest to the global state vector illustrated by the figure 3 .

[0050] The features, variants and different embodiments of the invention may be combined with each other in various combinations, provided that they are not incompatible or mutually exclusive. In particular, variants of the invention may be conceived comprising only a selection of features described below in isolation from the other features described, if this selection of features is sufficient to confer a technical advantage and / or to differentiate the invention from the prior art.

[0051] Furthermore, the same elements will be designated by the same references in the description which follows and in the various appended figures.

[0052] There figure 1 schematically illustrates a motor vehicle on which a multimedia communication system 100 according to the invention is installed, which is in particular configured to generate interaction requests 200 intended for an occupant of the vehicle, and in particular the driver.

[0053] The vehicle comprises in particular a communication module 50, forming part of the multimedia communication system, which may in particular consist of a touch screen 51, capable of transmitting visual information to the occupant of the vehicle and of retrieving information transmitted by the occupant, and / or of audio assemblies 52 forming a loudspeaker and microphone, capable of transmitting auditory information to the occupant of the vehicle and of retrieving information transmitted orally by the occupant. The multimedia communication system 100 comprises a management module 101, which is configured to authorize or not an interaction intended for the occupant of the vehicle, by processing data making it possible to qualify a transmission request and to authorize this request according to the driving situation that the occupant is currently encountering.

[0054] As will be described in more detail below, the management module is in particular capable of implementing a contextual analysis module defining contextual state vectors which are grouped into an overall state vector of the driving situation, as well as a decision module which compares this overall state vector with other equivalent state vectors within a general data cluster, so as to define the driving situation pre-recorded or already encountered by the driver which most closely resembles the current driving situation.

[0055] A first contextual state vector 1 and a second contextual state vector 2, defined for the same driving situation 500, are illustrated in the figure 2 .

[0056] The first contextual state vector 1 groups together a plurality of contextual parameters p1, p2, p3, ..., p, each of which has a value, respectively, v1, v2, v3 ..., v. More precisely, the contextual parameters p1, p2, p3, ..., p of the first contextual state vector 1 all relate to the same category of contextual parameters. Thus, the first contextual state vector 1 is, for example, a contextual state vector grouping together parameters p1, p2, p3, ..., p relating to the driving and the driver of the vehicle, for a given driving situation. By way of non-exhaustive examples, the parameter p1 may be representative of a state of vigilance of the driver, for example determined by a device for measuring the mobility of the driver's gaze, the parameter p2 may be representative of a number of hours of driving, the parameter p3 may be representative of a frequency of interaction of the driver of the vehicle with an interface of the vehicle.

[0057] The second contextual state vector 2 groups together a plurality of contextual parameters p1', p2', p3', ..., p' which take values v1', v2', v3', ... v'. The second contextual state vector 2 is defined for the same driving situation 500, and in particular at the same time t as the time at which the first contextual state vector 1 is defined, and in accordance with what was mentioned previously, the contextual parameters p1', p2', p3', ..., p' of the second contextual state vector all relate to the same category of contextual parameters, here relating to the route on which the vehicle is traveling. By way of non-exhaustive examples, the parameter p1' may be representative of a fluid or congested state of the traffic, the parameter p2' may be representative of daytime or nighttime lighting, the parameter p3' may be representative of the presence of a work zone on the route or of a meteorological event.

[0058] As illustrated on the figure 2 , the number p of contextual parameters of the first contextual state vector 1 and the number p' of contextual parameters of the second contextual state vector 2 may be different, but it should be noted that these numbers may be equal without departing from the context of the invention.

[0059] On the same principle, a plurality of contextual state vectors 1, 2, 3, ..., n can be defined to describe a plurality of aspects of the driving situation 500, whether these aspects relate to the vehicle, its external environment or its internal environment at the given instant t to which the driving situation 500 is attached.

[0060] Each contextual state vector 1, 2, 3 ..., n therefore groups together contextual parameters of a category of parameters of the driving situation 500, the set of contextual state vectors 1, 2, 3, ... n, describing the driving situation 500 as a whole.

[0061] The values v1, v1', ..., v, v' of the parameters p1, p1', ..., p, p' may be either values measured by sensors 501 placed in the vehicle, or outside the vehicle, or values arbitrarily assigned according to a predefined variation range of the parameter considered. Thus, for example, a parameter representative of the nervousness of the piloting may be valued according to the number of accelerations and brakings whose intensity exceeds a certain threshold and a value on a scale of 1 to 10 may be assigned to the driving style from the start of the vehicle until the time t associated with the driving time 500, while a parameter representative of lighting on the route on which the vehicle is traveling may take a value arbitrarily defined at zero for daytime lighting, at one for nighttime lighting, and, for example, at two for artificial lighting.

[0062] The variation ranges of the values v1, v1', ..., v, v' of the parameters p1, p1', ..., p, p' are previously defined, for example by the vehicle manufacturer. Advantageously, they are chosen so that their sensitivity allows any significant variation in each of the contextual parameters to be taken into account.

[0063] There figure 3 illustrates the concatenation, previously defined, of the set of contextual state vectors 1, 2, 3, ..., n describing the driving situation 500 into a global state vector A representing this driving situation.

[0064] Here, the driving situation 500 is described by four contextual state vectors 1, 2, 3, 4 each grouping, respectively, p, p', pi, pj contextual parameters as previously defined. Each contextual parameter of each contextual state vector 1, 2, 3, 4, is here represented by a point cloud, each contextual state vector 1, 2, 3, 4, being represented by a three-dimensional volume. Arbitrarily, to facilitate reading, each contextual parameter of the first contextual state vector 1 is represented on the figure 3 by the symbol "%", each context parameter of the second context state vector 2 is represented by the symbol "x", each context parameter of the third context state vector 3 is represented by the symbol "*", and each context parameter of the fourth context state vector 4 is represented by the symbol "#".

[0065] The global state vector A, grouping together all the parameters p1, p2, ..., p, p1', p2', ... p', ..., pi, ... pj of the contextual state vectors 1, 2, 3, 4 can therefore be represented as a multidimensional space whose number of dimensions is equal to the sum of the dimensions of the different contextual state vectors 1, 2, 3, 4 which constitute it or, in other words, whose number of dimensions is equal to the total number of contextual parameters p1, p2, ..., p, p1', p2', ..., p', ..., pi, ... pj of the set of contextual state vectors 1, 2, 3, 4. On the figure 3 , the global state vector A of the driving situation 500 is arbitrarily represented by a three-dimensional volume.

[0066] It should be understood that the dimensions of the global state vector are not fixed and that they evolve according to the contextual state vectors considered and the number of parameters that each contextual state vector contains.

[0067] There figure 4 is a schematic representation of an exemplary embodiment of a communication system 100 according to the invention.

[0068] In reference to the figure 4 , the communication system 100 for a motor vehicle comprises a module 10 for generating interaction requests 200. According to the example more particularly illustrated by the figure 4 , the request generation module 10 is configured to assign, to each interaction request 200, an interaction type indicator a, b, ..., z, as well as a lifetime V during which this interaction request must be presented to be useful to the driver.

[0069] The communication system 100 also comprises a contextual analysis module 20 in which the contextual state vectors 1, 2, ..., n previously described are defined, describing a driving situation 500 at a given time t. The contextual analysis module 20 also comprises a concatenation member 25 configured to group the contextual state vectors 1, 2, ..., n of the driving situation 500 at time t into a global state vector A thereof.

[0070] The communication system 100 also comprises a general data cluster 30 which is formed by a plurality of predefined global state vectors B1, B2, ..., Bx corresponding to a plurality of driving situations 500, 600, ..., N of the vehicle in which the communication system 100 according to the invention is installed.

[0071] With reference to the above, each predefined global state vector B1, B2, ..., Bx of the general data cluster 30 is assigned a label C1, C2, ..., Cx. More precisely, each label C1, C2, ..., Cx comprises, on the one hand, a first part equal to a type of interaction a, b, ..., z, as previously defined, and, on the other hand, a second part representative of an authorization or a prohibition of presentation, to the driver of the vehicle, of an interaction request 200 presenting the type of interaction considered. According to the example more particularly illustrated here, the second part of the label C1, C2, ..., Cx, takes the form "+" to indicate an authorization to present a request to the driver and it takes the form "-" to indicate a prohibition of presenting a request to the driver.

[0072] The communication system 100 also comprises a decision module 40 configured to compare the global state vector A of the driving situation 500 with the predefined global state vectors B1, B2, ..., Bx, of the data cluster 30, in order to deduce therefrom a label C to be associated with the global state vector A, representative of an authorization or a prohibition of presentation of an interaction request 200 to the driver of the vehicle.

[0073] The decision module 40 is in particular configured to integrate the global state vector A of the driving situation 500 into the general data cluster 30 and to identify, within the general data cluster 30, the predefined global state vector Bi closest to the global state vector A of the driving situation 500. For the type of interaction induced by the aforementioned interaction request 200, the predefined global state vector Bi is assigned the label Ci and the identification of the closest global state vector makes it possible, according to the invention, to assign the same label Ci to the global state vector A of the driving situation.

[0074] The communication system 100 according to the invention further comprises a communication module 50 configured to present the aforementioned interaction request 200 to the driver of the vehicle as soon as the label C assigned to the global state vector A of the driving situation 500 consists of an authorization label.

[0075] The communication system 100 finally comprises, on the one hand, a module 60 for temporary storage of one or more requests 200 and, on the other hand, a module 70 for recording, in the general data cluster 30, the global state vector A of the driving situation 500 assigned its label C.

[0076] The contextual analysis module 20 and its concatenation member 25, the general data cluster 30, the decision module 40 and the recording member 70 previously defined are grouped in a request management module 101 of the communication system 100.

[0077] There figure 5 is a schematic view of the general data cluster 30 as previously defined. As indicated previously, the general data cluster 30 is a set of predefined global state vectors B1, B2, ..., Bx, each of which is assigned a label C1, C2, ..., C, representative, on the one hand, of a type of interaction a, b, ..., z, and, on the other hand, of an authorization "+" or a prohibition "-" of presentation, to the driver of the vehicle, of an interaction request 200 inducing the type of interaction a, b, ..., z, considered. As previously indicated, the predefined global state vectors B1, B2, ..., Bx each correspond to a previously defined driving situation, and the labels C1, C2, ..., Cx assigned to them are previously defined, for example, during driving tests of the vehicle prior to its marketing, or on the basis of analogies with frequently encountered and known driving situations.

[0078] By way of non-limiting examples, the first part a, b, ..., z of the label C1, ..., Cx may represent a simple interaction of a visual, auditory, or verbal type, or a more complex interaction, for example, requiring the driver's vision and requiring a tactile response or a verbal response from him.

[0079] Each global state vector B1, B2, ..., Bx of the general data cluster 30 is therefore assigned a label C1, C2, ..., Cx of the form a+, a-, ..., z+, z- for the different types of interactions a, b, ..., z. For example, if the global state vector B1 represents a driving situation 500 in which the vehicle is overtaking on a roadway with heavy traffic, it will be assigned a label of the form v- indicating that a request requesting the driver's view should not be presented to him in this driving situation.

[0080] It should be noted that the same global state vector Bi can be assigned several labels C1', ..., Cx', for different types of interactions.

[0081] According to the example more particularly illustrated by the figure 5 , the general data cluster 30 comprises different predefined global state vectors B1, ..., Bx assigned labels C1, ..., Cx, the first part of which is respectively representative of interactions of auditory type a, visual type v, and combined type w soliciting the driver's vision and inducing a tactile response from him. More precisely, on the figure 5 , the predefined global state vectors whose first part of the label is representative of an interaction of the auditory type a are represented by white triangles, the predefined global state vectors whose first part of the label is representative of an interaction of the visual type v are represented by black triangles, and the predefined global state vectors whose first part of the label is representative of an interaction of the combined type w are represented by black discs.

[0082] On the figure 5 are more particularly identified a first predefined global state vector B1 whose first part of the label C1 is representative of an auditory interaction a, a second predefined global vector B2 whose first part of the label C2 is representative of a visual interaction v, and a third predefined global state vector B3 whose first part of the label C3 is representative of a combined interaction w as mentioned above.

[0083] The global state vector A of the driving situation 500, previously defined, is also represented on the figure 5 , inserted into the general data cluster 30.

[0084] As indicated previously, the invention provides that a label C is assigned to the global state vector A. More precisely, the invention provides that, for each type of interaction a, b, ..., w, z, the global state vector A is assigned a label C representative of an authorization or a prohibition of presentation of a request inducing this type of interaction.

[0085] There figure 6 illustrates more particularly the method according to the invention, in the case where an interaction request 200 requesting the vision of the driver and inducing a tactile response from him is emitted by the interaction request generation module 10 of a motor vehicle. The interaction request 200 taken as an example here to illustrate the method according to the invention is a combined interaction request w as previously described. The interaction request 200 can, for example, be a request comprising the display of a message of the type "a restaurant is nearby, would you like to go there?" and inducing a tactile response "yes" or "no" from the driver on a communication interface screen of the vehicle.

[0086] In a first step 110 of the method according to the invention, an interaction request 200, sent by the request generation module 10, is transmitted, at a time t, to the request management module 101 of the communication system 100 of the vehicle equipped with the invention.

[0087] According to the example more particularly illustrated by the figure 6 , the interaction type indicator w is assigned to the interaction request 200 within the request generation module 10. According to other exemplary embodiments, the interaction type indicator w is assigned to the interaction request 200 during a first sub-step 111, not shown in the figure 6 , from the first stage 110.

[0088] The invention further provides a lifetime V which is assigned to the interaction request 200 within the request generation module 10. Like the interaction type indicator w, the lifetime V can be, according to different examples, assigned to the interaction request 200 during a second sub-step 112, not shown in the figure 6 , of the first step 110 of the method according to the invention. In the case where the interaction type indicator w and the lifetime V are assigned to the interaction request 200 respectively during a first sub-step 111 and a second sub-step 112 of the first step 110 of the method according to the invention, these sub-steps can be carried out consecutively or simultaneously.

[0089] In a second step 120 of the method according to the invention, a plurality of contextual state vectors 1, 2, ..., n are generated in the contextual analysis module 20 previously described, for the driving situation 500 corresponding to the instant t at which the interaction request 200 was transmitted to the request management module 101. As indicated previously, the contextual state vectors 1, 2, ..., n each group together contextual parameters p1, p1', ..., p, p' of a category of parameters of the driving situation 500, and the values v1, v1', ..., v, v', of these different parameters are taken at the aforementioned instant t to establish the contextual state vectors 1, 2, ..., n.

[0090] In a third step 130 of the method according to the invention, the aforementioned contextual state vectors 1, 2, ..., n are grouped via the concatenation member 25 previously described to form the global state vector A of the driving situation 500 at time t.

[0091] In a fourth step 140 of the method according to the invention, the global state vector A of the driving situation 500 at time t is integrated into the general data cluster 30, previously described. Then, in a fifth step 150 of the method according to the invention, a label C is assigned to the global state vector A of the driving situation 500 at time t.

[0092] More precisely, the aforementioned fifth step 150 comprises a first sub-step 151 of selection, in the general data cluster 30, of the predefined global state vectors B1, ..., Bx of which the first part of the label C1, ... Cx, is equal to the interaction type indicator w assigned to the interaction request 300.

[0093] In a second sub-step 152 of the fifth step 150, the predefined global state vector Bi closest to the global state vector A of the driving situation 500 is identified from among the global state vectors predefined during the first sub-step 151 previously described.

[0094] An example of implementation of the second sub-step 152 is more particularly illustrated by the figure 7 . In this figure, the global state vector A of the driving situation 500 is represented by a white disc.

[0095] According to the example illustrated here, only predefined global state vectors of type B3, whose first part of the label C3 is equal to the interaction type indicator w, represented by black discs, are taken into account for the identification of the predefined global state vector closest to the global state vector A.

[0096] Different distance measurements d1, d2, d3, ..., di, calculated for example by a Euclidean method, are carried out between the global state vector A of the driving situation 500 and predefined global state vectors selected during the first sub-step 151, so as to determine the predefined global state vector Bi closest to the global state vector A. The predefined global state vector Bi is assigned a label Ci, the first part of which is equal to the aforementioned indicator w, and the second part of which takes a value “+” or “-” as indicated previously.

[0097] Referring again to the figure 6 , the fifth step 150 of the method according to the invention also comprises a third sub-step 153 during which the label Ci of the predefined global state vector Bi selected during the second sub-step 152 is provisionally assigned to the global state vector A of the driving situation 500.

[0098] In a subsequent sub-step 154, the provisional label Ci assigned to the global state vector A of the driving situation 500 is examined, and the definitive label C is assigned to the global state vector A in the following manner.

[0099] If the provisional label Ci is representative of an authorization to present the interaction request 200, that is to say, in other words, and according to the example illustrated here, if the provisional label Ci is of the form w+, the interaction request 200 is presented to the driver of the vehicle during a sixth step 160 of the method according to the invention: if the driver responds to the interaction request 200, that is to say, with reference to the above, if the driver interacts in a tactile manner with the interface screen of the communication module in response to the visual message broadcast by and interface screen, the invention provides that the label C assigned to the interaction request is of the form w+, that is to say that it is equal to the provisional label Ci previously mentioned. The invention further provides, in this case, that the global state vector A of the driving situation 500, assigned its label C equal to the provisional label Ci, is recorded in the general data cluster 30 during a seventh step 170 of the method according to the invention.if the driver does not respond to the interaction request 200, that is to say, with reference to the above, if the driver does not interact in a tactile manner with the interface screen of the communication module in response to the visual message broadcast by the latter, the invention provides that the label C assigned to the interaction request 200 is of the form w-, that is to say that it is different from the provisional label Ci previously mentioned. The invention further provides, in this case, that the global state vector A of the driving situation 500, assigned its new label C, is recorded in the general data cluster 30 during the seventh step 170 of the method according to the invention.

[0100] If the label Ci is representative of a prohibition on the presentation of the interaction request 200, that is to say, in other words, and according to the example illustrated here, if the provisional label Ci is of the form w-, two cases arise: if the lifetime V of the interaction request 200 has elapsed, the invention provides that the label C assigned to the interaction request 200 is of the form w-, that is to say that it is equal to the provisional label Ci previously mentioned. The invention further provides, in this case, that the global state vector A of the driving situation 500, assigned its label C equal to the provisional label Ci, is recorded in the general data cluster 30 during the seventh step 170 of the method according to the invention. if the lifetime V of the interaction request 200 has not elapsed, the invention provides that the interaction request 200 is temporarily stored in the buffer storage module 60 previously defined and illustrated in the figure 4, and that an additional step 180 of the method according to the invention is launched, repeating several of the steps and sub-steps previously described. The invention further provides, in this case, that the interaction request 200 is then sent back to the request management module 101.

[0101] For a new driving situation 500, corresponding to a new instant t of a new sending of the interaction request 200, if the provisional label Ci' which is associated with the global state vector A' of this new driving situation is representative of an authorization to present the interaction request 200, the latter is presented to the driver, and the definitive label C assigned to the global state vector A' is equal to the provisional label Ci' if the driver responds to the interaction request 200, or different from it in the opposite case, as previously described.

[0102] If, during the new aforementioned driving situation 600, the provisional label Ci' associated with its global state vector A' is again representative of a prohibition on presenting the interaction request 200, and if the lifetime V of the latter has elapsed, then the definitive label C' assigned to the global state vector A' is equal to the provisional label Ci' as previously described, that is to say it is representative of a prohibition on presenting the interaction request 200.

[0103] In other words, since the temporary label Ci assigned to the global state vector A of the driving situation 500 previously mentioned, is representative of a prohibition on the presentation of the interaction request 200, that is to say, according to the example more particularly illustrated here, since the temporary label Ci assigned to the global state vector A of the driving situation 500 is of the form w-, the interaction request 200 is stored and presented again to the request management module 101 at a new time t, as long as the lifetime V of the interaction request 200 has not elapsed, in the event that the temporary label Ci' assigned to the global state vector A' of a new driving situation at a new time t could be representative of an authorization to present the interaction request 200.

[0104] By means of authorizing or prohibiting the presentation of interaction requests 200, the invention, as just described, makes it possible to sort a plurality of such interaction requests so that their possible presentation to the driver of the vehicle does not compromise the driving safety of this vehicle.

Claims

1. Multimedia motor-vehicle communication system (100) configured to generate interaction requests (200), to assign to each of the interaction requests (200) an indicator (a, b,..., z) representative of a type of interaction, and to transmit these interaction requests (200) to an occupant of the vehicle via a communication module (50), characterized in that it comprises a request management module (101) for managing interaction requests (200), which comprises: - a contextual analysis module (20) configured, on the one hand, to define, on the basis of a plurality of contextual data of a driving situation (500) of the vehicle at a given time (t), a plurality of contextual state vectors (1, 2,..., n) of the driving situation (500), each contextual state vector (1, 2,..., n) containing a plurality of contextual parameters (p1,..., p, p1',..., p',..., pi,..., pj) of the driving situation (500), - a concatenation unit (25) configured to combine the contextual state vectors (1, 2,..., n) of the driving situation (500) into an overall state vector (A) of the driving situation (500), - a general data cluster (30) in which a plurality of predefined overall state vectors (B1, B2,..., Bx) are stored, each of which is assigned, for each type of interaction (a, b,..., z), a label (C1, C2,..., Cx) representative of a permission or prohibition to present the interaction request (200) to the occupant of the vehicle, - a decision module (40) configured to compare the overall state vector (A) of the driving situation (500) with the predefined overall state vectors (B1, B2,..., Bx) of the general data cluster (30) in order to derive therefrom a label (C) of the overall state vector (A) of the driving situation (500) representative of a permission or prohibition to present the interaction request (200) to the occupant of the vehicle, the request management module (101) being configured to command the communication module (50) to present the interaction request (200) to the occupant of the vehicle depending on the label (C) of the overall state vector (A) of the driving situation (500).

2. Communication system (100) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the decision module (40) is configured to select, from the predefined overall state vectors (B1, B2,..., Bx) of the general data cluster (30), predefined overall state vectors the label (C1, C2,..., Cx) of which comprises the indicator (a, b,..., z) of the type of the interaction request (200).

3. Communication system (100) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the decision module (40) is configured to compare the overall state vector (A) of the driving situation (500) with the predefined overall state vectors (B1, B2,..., Bx) the label (C1, C2,..., Cx) of which comprises the interaction-type indicator (a, b,..., z) of the interaction request (200), in order to identify the predefined overall state vector (Bi) closest to the overall state vector (A) of the driving situation (500) with a view to deriving therefrom a provisional label (Ci) of the overall state vector (A) of the driving situation (500).

4. Communication system (100) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the request management module (101) is configured to store, in the general data cluster (30), the label (C) of the overall state vector (A) of the driving situation (500).

5. Multimedia communication method for a motor vehicle, characterized in that it comprises: - a step (110) of transmitting, to the request management module (101) of a multimedia communication system (100) according to the preceding claim, a request (200) for interaction with an occupant of the vehicle, which request is assigned an indicator (a, b,..., z) of the type of interaction that the interaction request (200) induces, - a step (120) of generating a plurality of contextual state vectors (1, 2,..., n) of a driving situation (500) of the vehicle at a given time (t), each contextual state vector (1, 2,..., n) containing a plurality of contextual parameters (p1,..., p, p1',..., p',..., pi,..., pj) of the driving situation (500) of the vehicle, - a step (130) of concatenating the contextual state vectors (1, 2,..., n) of the driving situation (500) into an overall state vector (A) of the driving situation (500), - a step (140) of integrating the overall state vector (A) of the driving situation (500) into the general data cluster (30), - a step (150) of assigning, to the overall state vector (A) of the driving situation (500), and for each type of interaction (a, b,..., z), a label (C) representative of a permission or prohibition to present the interaction request (200) to the occupant of the vehicle, - a step (160) of presenting the interaction request (200) to the occupant of the vehicle depending on the label (C) assigned to the overall state vector (A) of the driving situation (500), the interaction request (200) being presented only if the assigned label (C) is representative of a permission to present the interaction request to the occupant of the vehicle, - a step (170) of storing the overall state vector (A) of the driving situation (500), assigned its label (C), in the general data cluster (30).

6. Method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that it comprises a step (112) of assigning a lifetime (V) to the interaction request (200).

7. Method according to either of Claims 5 and 6, wherein the step (150) of assigning a label (C) to the overall state vector (A) of the driving situation (500) comprises a step (151) of selecting, in the general data cluster (30), predefined overall state vectors (B1, B2,..., Bx) the label (C1, C2,..., Cx) of which comprises the indicator (a, b,..., z) of the type of interaction of the interaction request (200).

8. Method according to the preceding claim, wherein the step (150) of assigning a label (C) to the overall state vector (A) of the driving situation (500) comprises a step (152) of identifying, in the general data cluster (30), the predefined overall state vector (Bi) closest to the overall state vector (A) of the driving situation (500).

9. Method according to the preceding claim, wherein the step (150) of assigning a label (C) to the overall state vector (A) of the driving situation (500) comprises a step (153) of assigning a provisional label (Ci) to said overall state vector (A), the provisional label (Ci) being identical to the label (Ci) of the predefined overall state vector (Bi) closest to the overall state vector (A) of the driving situation (500).

10. Method according to the preceding claim, wherein the step (160) of presenting the interaction request (200) to the occupant of the vehicle is conditional upon the value of the provisional label (Ci) assigned to the overall state vector (A) of the driving situation (500).

11. Method according to the preceding claim, wherein the step (160) of presenting the interaction request (200) to the occupant of the vehicle is conditional upon the lifetime (V) of the interaction request (200).

12. Method according to either of Claims 10 and 11, wherein the value of the label (C) assigned to the overall state vector (A) of the driving situation (500) is conditional upon the response of the occupant of the vehicle to the interaction request (200).

13. Motor vehicle equipped with a multimedia communication system (100) according to any of Claims 1 to 4, configured to implement the method according to any of Claims 5 to 12.